Review of Recent Lottery

Virginia ABC recently held a multi-item lottery for four limited availability products. It resulted in a statistically abnormal number of entrants winning the right to purchase more than one product. 

Virginia ABC has found no evidence of inappropriate administration of the lottery drawing, or intentional manipulation by staff or customers.

In cases where multiple items are offered through a single lottery form, individual customers may enter any or all of the available drawings on that particular lottery offering. The drawings for each lottery product is separate, and each lottery drawing is conducted independently.  Four products from the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection were included in this round of lotteries.

Virginia ABC staff conducted the lottery drawing following procedures established and used for previous drawings. Entrants in each drawing were assigned random numbers to determine the winners. Drawings were witnessed by a member of the authority's internal audit division. A subsequent review by Internal Audit identified an issue in the sorting of the lottery entry data in our software. The manner in which the entries were sorted contributed to the statistically abnormal results.

Two entrants won all four products; 50 entrants won three products; and 229 entrants won two products. There were 978 total winners for 1,313 available products. The lottery was conducted April 19-23. Winners and non-winners of the lottery were notified on May 12. Virginia ABC is honoring the results and selling the products in line with the lottery terms and conditions.

As a result of these findings, the authority is adding additional layers of review to the lottery sorting process. Additionally, a new electronic lottery system, hosted in Virginia ABC’s Management of Inventory and Product Sales system, is in the testing phase.

George T. Stagg Bourbon – 37,485 entries and awarded 770 bottles = 1 in 48.68 chance of winning
Thomas H. Handy Sazerac Rye – 35,828 entries and awarded 286 bottles = 1 in 125.27 chance of winning
William Larue Weller Bourbon – 37,416 entries and awarded 209 bottles = 1 in 179.02 chance of winning
Sazerac Rye 18 Year Old – 35,492 entries and awarded 48 bottles = 1 in 739.41 chance of winning

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The Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority (ABC) is a major source of revenue for the commonwealth, contributing more than $2.7 billion to the general fund in the last five years. Virginia ABC currently operates 397 state stores and provides alcohol education and prevention programs for people of all ages. Its Bureau of Law Enforcement oversees approximately 19,000 ABC licensed establishments. Now marking its 89th year, ABC remains committed to progress and innovation in carrying out its vision of bringing good spirits and excellent service to Virginia.

Web: www.abc.virginia.gov  Facebook: @VirginiaABC and @SpiritedVirginia  Instagram: @spiritedvirginia  Twitter: @VirginiaABC LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/virginiaabc